As a former Pearland city councilman and former trustee of the Pearland Independent School District, three-term state Rep. Ed Thompson, an insurance salesman by day, knows this suburban district well. So we take him seriously when he points out the three big challenges of a growing district: “They bring their cars, bring their children and bring their cash.”

OK, so maybe that’s just two big challenges.

Either way, Thompson, 67, has a pro-growth attitude and realistic perspective on politics. He told ushe thinks the state sets up local school districts for failure by overloading them with unfunded mandates. He wants to update the current school funding system, which is an important issue for this booming Brazoria County district, including Alvin ISD and Pearland ISD.

On flooding, Thompson wants to create a system where drainage districts align with watershed boundaries instead of political boundaries. He compared the current system, where a single body of water can cut through multiple districts, to “like if eight contractors are building you a house.”

Thompson’s challenger was James Presley, a 23-year-old libertarian-minded veteran whose main focus seems to be on legalizing marijuana. According to his Facebook page he is no longer running.